A Mouth Full of Hollow Threats
by SalingerQuinn
Summary: Hope Mikaelson was born into a world overrun by chaos. With her Mother dead and her Father tortured with guilt and regret, she is essentially left parent-less, until her Aunt Rebekah takes her in. Now Hope is 15 and they are returning to New Orleans for the summer before she attends the Salvatore boarding school. But things won't go smoothly, and there will always be threats.
1. The Devil's Candy

**Welcome to my story! Just want a leave a few notes for you guys before you continue. This is mostly the same world, minus Hayley. She isn't alive in my story. I apologize if that bums some of you out, but I wanted to write Rebekah in as her guardian and caretaker. It's been refreshing to write Rebekah as a "Mama Bear" so to speak. Also, this story is super gruesome and sad and I'm not really 100% on what direction I'm going to go in after this chapter! Please leave reviews if you loved it or hated it! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

 **"THE DEVIL'S CANDY"**

Hope Mikaelson's life was anything but normal. As much as everyone tried to help keep her life as calm and cool as possible, it just wasn't enough. Mostly because of her hot headed Father. She rarely saw him. He was always a live wire, but when Hayley died the day Hope was born, he was so filled with rage that he couldn't bare to be around his child. He could hardly hold her, let alone look at her. Elijah and Freya became her caretakers for the first couple weeks, but ultimately decided that her best chance would be to live with her Aunt Rebekah. She would grow up in a nice house, with a white picket fence and someone that loved her unconditionally. Someone she could form a bond with and thrive. She would never be lied to and she would always be kind, but never afraid to put up fight if she had to. She would grow to be full of wit and charm, which was something that her Aunt passed down to her. She was smart and cunning, like her Uncle Elijah, emotional and hot headed, like her Father, powerful, like her Aunt Freya, but most importantly, strong, like her Mother.

Rebekah tried to make damn sure that Hope was raised in a utopian bubble, but there were always going to be obstacles.

Rebekah had bought at least 10 different books on infants and read that the first year of a baby's life is the most important. It's how the baby forms a bond to it's Mother. She was terrified that Hope wouldn't be able to do that with her, because she didn't incubate inside of her for 9 months. She made sure she did everything possible to keep the baby happy. The first thing she did was put her on a schedule, learning through trial and error. Feedings every 4 hours, naps in between, baths every other day. Hope was only 2 weeks old when she brought her home, so it was going to take a lot of time before she felt settled and comfortable due to the change of pace she had with Elijah and Freya. Rebekah barely slept the first 6 weeks, but seemed to be doing well running on adrenaline and mysteriously developed "Mommy" hormones. She took a liking to the baby sling and basically wore Hope around everywhere. It made things a tad bit easier since she was on her own with the baby. It wasn't a smooth ride. There were times when Rebekah wanted to cry and run away, but the minute she looked into the little crying baby's eyes, she made those thoughts disappear from her head. By the time Hope was 2 months old, everything started to become simpler. She had finally began sleeping through the night in her bassinet that Rebekah had next to her own bed. The constant crying had stopped and Hope was becoming a happy baby. Rebekah could finally breathe, now that the hard part was over.

By the time Hope was 2, Rebekah started showing her the world and everything in it. She took her to parks, movies, aquariums, zoos, history museums, and art museums, all under a watchful eye, of course. When she turned 5, they traveled to different countries. They studied the history of everything, much thanks to Rebekah for being centuries old.

Up until now, Hope had lived in a small town in North Carolina. Rebekah had told her that she wouldn't be able to attend normal high school because of how special she was. She needed to learn how to control her powers at a place that specialized in such a thing. Hope was 15 now, so her emotions were up and down constantly, which worried Rebekah for supernatural reasons more than normal adolescence.

"Can't I please just go to a normal high school for my first year? Please?" Hope begged Rebekah as she sat at the kitchen table eating breakfast. Rebekah was scrubbing a plate in the sink.

"How could you at all not be interested in basically attending Hogwarts? Isn't that a thing human children dream of these days?" Rebekah was joking, mostly. Hope rolled her eyes.

"I don't care about that stuff. Why can't I go to a regular high school and just go to Auntie Freya for... witch lessons... or whatever it's formal title is?" Hope retorted.

"Because, love, your Aunt Freya has a life. Of course she'll teach you the things your professors won't, but you can't expect her to take loads of time away to teach you everything in the book." Rebekah explained. Hope sighed, clinking her spoon in her bowl.

"It's just... I just want to experience real high school! Is that so bad? I wanna crush on a boy, be on the soccer team, go to prom, smoke in a bathroom stall." Hope joked at the end. Rebekah sat down in the chair next to Hope's and grabbed her hand, gently holding it.

"Very funny. Look, sweetheart, understand that I want you to experience all of those things, minus smoking in a bathroom stall, that's utterly disgusting, but I'm telling you that at the Salvator School, you will be able to experience those things. With kids your age who are like you. I don't want you going to a place where you're vulnerable and I sit around worrying all day." Rebekah truthfully spoke. Hope stared down at her left over, soggy cereal floating around in her bowl. She felt defeated. She knew Rebekah was ultimately right. She would have to embrace this new change of pace.

"I'm Klaus Mikaelson's daughter. I think I'm always going to be vulnerable no matter where I go, and you're always going to sit around and worry. But, you are right. I suppose I'll just have to suck it up." Hope admitted, revealing a slight smile up at Rebekah.

"That's my sweet girl. You have so much strength in you and I'm so proud of all that you've accomplished. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I'd like to think I had something to do with that." Rebekah winked, pushing a strand of hair behind her niece's ear. Hope laughed.

"Alright, then, what do you say we start packing? We can grab a bite once we head out?" Rebekah suggested. Hope's face was sullen again rather quickly.

"What is, love?" Rebekah asked, concerned and cocking heard sideways at her like a curious puppy.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just really gonna miss it being just you and me. I mean, I can't wait to see the family, I'm just not good with change and I'm afraid of seeing Dad again. We always end up fighting." Hope answered, twirling her hair in her fingers.

"Trust me, I'm going to miss it too, sweetheart, but we'll still be together. Just... in a much bigger house with a lot more baggage." Rebekah explained, bluntly.

"Yeah, and then in 3 months, you're gonna ship me off to Hogwarts, 3 hours away." Hope rolled her eyes.

"I'm not _shipping_ you anywhere! You'll have Holiday break, spring break and summer break to come home and I'll come visit, I promise. Plus, I'll be with you on your first day. It's orientation, so all parents will be there. I'll help you get settled in to your quarters." Hope smiled at the thought. She's never thought of Rebekah as her Aunt. Despite knowing who her real Mother is and always asking questions about her, Rebekah raised her and loved her unconditionally. Hayley would always be her Mother, but Rebekah was her Mama.

"Thanks, Mama." Hope smiled.

"I hope you know I love you very much." Rebekah spoke as she pushed a strand of hair behind Hope's ear.

"I love you too." Hope replied.

* * *

 ****2 MONTHS LATER****  
 ****THE FRENCH QUARTER****

It was officially the dead of summer and New Orleans was hotter than hell. Rebekah and Hope had moved all their stuff in a month prior. She thought it was nice the first month she was settled in, being that she was able to spend time with her family and finally meet some of their infamous friends, like Vincent, Josh and Marcel, who she found out was basically her big brother, which made the family dynamic even weirder than it already was, but she was starting to just roll with it. She was also finally able to meet her Uncle Kol's wife, Davina Claire, whom she knew was a powerful witch and very much wished to learn a thing or two from her. Still no sign of her Father, though she wasn't surprised and she wouldn't hold her breath waiting on his arrival.

Currently, though, she was starting to lose her mind. She was on strict orders not to leave the compound unless she was accompanied by a family member or a compelled body guard. She felt like Rapunzel, minus the long hair and the fact that a prince was definitely not going to rescue her.

She was sitting on her bed, sketching, with head phones on her ears. She looked up from her sketchbook and jumped at the site of Rebekah, who was standing in the doorway, watching her. Hope pulled her headphones off her ears.

"Jesus, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Hope replied with her hand over chest. Rebekah laughed.

"Sorry, love. I was just letting you know that I'm gonna step out for a few hours. Visiting an old friend." Rebekah explained.

"Like, Marcel Gerard kind of old?" Hope teased.

"Very funny. Also, maybe." Rebekah teased back.

"Well have fun with whoever it is." Hope said as she sat up.

"I will indeed try. Also, you know the rules, no leaving the compound by yourself, please stay out of trouble?" Rebekah relayed.

"Yes, yes I know. I'm a jailed princess." Hope replied, letting out a dramatic sigh and falling back down into her pillow fortress.

"Such a damsel you are. I promise it's only because we really, really like you. Your uncle Elijah is in the study. Freya is out with Keelin but they should be home shortly. Be safe. I love you." Rebekah finished.

"Same. Love you too." Hope replied as Rebekah walked away.

* * *

A few hours had passed and Hope's fingers had grown tired from drawing and her ears were becoming sore from the head phones, so she decided to take a break from both activities. The sun was setting and the compound was so quiet, it was giving Hope the creeps. She slipped her feet into a pair of sandals and wrapped a blanket around her as she walked through the compound looking for her Uncle Elijah. Rebekah had said he was in the study, but when she passed by it, she didn't see him.

"Uncle Elijah?" Hope called out, but got no reply.

She continued walking through the home and started to get that terrible witchy feeling. Like she knew something bad had already happened or was about to happen. She grabbed her phone and speed-dialed Rebekah.

"I'm sorry, I know I took longer than expected. I'm on my way home now. Is everything okay, love?" Rebekah questioned after answering.

"I have a really bad feeling. Something isn't right. I don't think Uncle Elijah is here. I can't find-" Hope tripped over something and the phone went flying. She smacked her forehead so hard on the floor, she could already feel the bump growing and blood trickling down her face, but didn't worry since she knew it would heal soon. She slowly sat up from the ground to see what she tripped over and that's when she saw her Uncle Elijah with a stake in his chest. Completely forgetting she was on the phone with Rebekah, she quickly crawled over to him and pulled it out, then she crawled back to retrieve her phone from under the couch.

"Hope!? Answer me! Are you okay? What is going on?!" Rebekah asked, frantically.

"I think someone is in the house. Don't hang up." Hope whispered, her voice shaking in fear.

"I won't. Hope, you need to go hide! Now!" Rebekah shouted into the mouth piece.

"I'm taking my bracelet off." Hope said as she quietly tip-toed through the compound, dropping her bracelet on the floor.

"Do you hear anything?" Rebekah asked, her heart was sunken into her chest as she sped home.

"No, it's too quiet, I feel like I'm being watched." Hope admitted in a whisper. Within seconds, she felt someone come up behind her, snapping her neck before she had time to react. Everything went black.

* * *

Rebekah, Freya and Keelin arrived home at the same time, busting through the front door of the compound and running inside to look for any signs of Hope.

"Hope!" Rebekah shouted as she ran through the house, picking her bracelet off the ground and observing the blood on the ground and then saw Elijah. Freya and Keelin split up, to look around the other side of the compound.

"Elijah!" Rebekah shouted as she bent down to him, biting her wrist and feeding him to heal. He woke up slowly. Rebekah couldn't understand how someone could take out Elijah so quietly without Hope hearing.

"Hope? Where is Hope!" Elijah exclaimed, sitting up.

"She's gone, Elijah, someone took her! She was on the phone with me, I heard them take her! What happened?! Do you know who did this?!" Rebekah was frantic.

"She's not upstairs!" Freya chimed in as she jogged down the stairs to the main floor.

"She's not anywhere." Keelin chimed in and she joined the 3 of them on the main floor.

"They were so quiet, I didn't even know what hit me. They didn't even give me a chance to fight. Before I knew it, I was out." Elijah explained.

"I should have never brought her back here!" Rebekah shouted, putting her hands to her face in a stress related motion.

"We will find her, Sister. I promise." Elijah rested his hand gently on Rebekah's shoulder.

"We need Klaus here." Freya suggested. They all looked at each other in fear.

* * *

Hope's head was throbbing and she could taste blood in her mouth. She felt her eyes opening, but she couldn't see anything. It was pitched black wherever she was and the smell surrounding her was of dead bodies. She felt fluid in her eyes, she couldn't tell if it was tears or blood. Suddenly she saw a flicker of a light coming from afar, and heard footsteps.

"Hello? Can anybody hear me! Please just tell me what you want from me!?" Hope yelled in the distance, her voice echoing. She must be underground somewhere.

"Your blood, of course." She tried to squint her eyes, to see if she could recognize who it was that was now standing in front of her. It was a man she had never seen before. He wasn't ancient old, or, he could have been if he was a vampire. He was middle aged, light brown hair, scars on his face. He started chanting in Latin and the blood that was puddled around Hope from her head gash, started rising from the ground and collecting itself in a bowl that the man was holding. He spoke another incantation, one that takes away her power, she could feel it leave her body and immediately felt weaker than ever before.

"That will be enough for now. Declan, Cryus, take her to her chambers." He called out to two men who came out from behind him.

"Wait! Please! Why are you doing this to me!?" Hope pleaded. The two men drug her to a different room, everything down there was nothing but concrete and a large tarp that covered the ground. They chained up her wrists and ankles. Before leaving the room, one of the men pulled out a dagger.

"No! Please! Look at me! I'm just a child! My family will find all of you and rip your hearts out wether I'm dead or alive! You know that!" Hope yelled in anger. The men didn't seem affected by her words.

"I'm sorry, but what's done is done." One of the men said. He then took the dagger to Hope's left wrist, cutting it, then again to the right. She screamed in agony.

"Please..." Hope cried, looking at her wrists as the blood spilled out.

"One more thing." One of the men added. He grabbed a few strands of her hair, cutting it off with the dagger and dipping it in her blood that puddled around her. Then he cut a small piece of skin from her shoulder, causing her to scream more than she did when he cut her wrists. She knew that with her powers gone, her healing process was weakened and she had to grip the fact that she was probably going to bleed out before her wounds healed. The men closed the heavy door and sealed it shut. She was starting to get light headed, but tried to keep her eyes opened for as long as possible. Suddenly she felt something strange as if someone slipped something into her pocket. Shaking, she reached a bloodied hand into her pocket and held it to the moonlight that peered through the small jail cell-like window that was in the room. The note read: "Coming for you." She crumbled the bloodied note up, trying to shove it back into her pocket. With the small bit of relief, she lay her head down on the dirty, blood filled tarp, and closed her eyes.

* * *

 ****THE COMPOUND****

"Where is my daughter's worthless caretaker!? REBEKAH!?" Klaus shouted through the compound.

"Klaus, that will be enough out of you. You have no right to talk like that our sister in such a manner. She's is more distressed than you are." Elijah retorted. Klaus was gritting his teeth, his eyes bulging in anger.

"Worthless caretaker? As opposed to dead beat Father? She refers to you as 'Klaus' and me as her 'Mumsy.' Do you really want to go there, Nik!?" Rebekah hissed. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were red from crying. She had already been beating herself up about the whole situation, so seeing Klaus and hearing him already judge her over it, made her turn rather quickly.

"We don't have time for this! We need to move now!" Freya snapped. She had hurried to do a locator spell on Hope as soon as they realized she was missing.

Suddenly, they heard a noise near the front entrance. They paused and Elijah and Klaus slowly approached. When they opened the door, there was a small wooden box sitting on the top step with a note on top that read "Mikaelson Blood will spill." Elijah bent down to pick it up and bring it inside.

"What is it?!" Rebekah shouted.

"Whatever it is, I think it's best you leave the room." Elijah said in a serious tone to Rebekah.

"No. I won't leave." Rebekah firmly responded, crossing her arms. She was starting to feel ill.

They gathered around the small table, anticipating, but not in a good way, what was going to be inside. Upon opening the box, it revealed the strands of hair caked in a blood, and the small piece of skin from Hope's shoulder.

Klaus roared and flipped a table over, crashing into the brick wall and shattering to pieces. "They're mutilating her!" He shouted.

"Why are they doing this!? She's just a child!" All Rebekah felt was despair. She felt like her world was falling apart and if Hope died, she would never be able to forgive herself for not protecting her like she promised. She couldn't get the images out of her head of what they were doing to her. She also thought about the possibility of her being dead already.

"I need Vincent, Davina and Kol. Tell them to meet us there." Freya announced.

"We don't even know what we're walking into. Are you sure this is a good idea?" Keelin spoke.

"I don't care what we're walking into, but let it be known that heads will roll." Klaus was fuming with rage.

"Come on, we need to go." Freya demanded and they all fled out the door.

* * *

Hope lay there falling in and out of consciousness. Although she was weak, she was still anxious and waiting for her family to come save her. She was in her own head, trying to keep her thoughts straight, wondering why these witches wanted her blood so badly. All she could think of was that they wanted to torture her before finishing what they tried to start the day she was born. She was startled out of her thoughts when she heard the door open. She lay there lifeless, her breathing becoming more and more shallow as the minutes went by.

"My, my, my, look at this mess." The man spoke, squatting down at Hope's feet.

"Why don't you just kill me already." Hope barely whispered through shallow breaths.

"Oh, no, no. Not yet, little one. I want your family to be here for the main event. They should be here soon, though I'm sure you already knew that." The man pushed Hope's bloody strands of hair off her face and sat her up against the wall.

"Who... are you?" Hope asked, her eyes fluttering.

"I'm sorry, I don't do names. You're a special girl, Hope. Too special, that is. The truth is, you're a threat to this community. We know what you're capable of unleashing and it's been predicted that you're, well, basically the anti-Christ." The man explained.

"I'm not even in high school yet..." Hope still had it in her to be sarcastic. Forever her Aunt's niece.

"Well, darling, if you recall, they tried to rid you of the world minutes after you were born. Fortunately for you, you made it out of that one. It's too bad for that hybrid Mommy of yours, though. I hear you have a new Mommy now. Sweet and sour Rebekah and your Daddy, Klaus, Rebekah's brother? Playing Mommy and Daddy. Together? You must admit, that's quite strange, isn't it?" The man rambled, speaking similarly to that of a psychopath.

"Klaus is anything but a Father, but he'll rip your god damn head off." Hope smirked, blood running out of her mouth.

"Such strength you must have. Even without your powers and lack of blood running through your veins, you still manage to profess such hate towards your Father." The man started to unchain Hope's wrists and ankles. Then he picked up her up in his arms. Hope was so weak, she didn't even try to fight back. She was still in and out of consciousness, her head dangling backwards.

The man took her to a lit room, laying her down on a table. There were more witches there. Two woman came over to the table and once again, chained her ankles and her wrists down, not minding the blood that the girl was covered in and dripping from her hands. She looked around and began to realize that they were planning a sacrifice. She saw animal bones on the alter, along with a dagger and the same wooden bowl that the man had used earlier to collect her blood.

"Please don't do this. Please..."

"Your pleas fall on deaf ears, love. What's done is done." The man replied.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Klaus appeared, his voice echoing through out the room as he roared. The witches gathered in front of Hope with their hands out, chanting and causing Klaus to fall on his knees, grabbing his head in pain. The man stood behind them, raising the dagger in the air. Rebekah and Elijah sped up on the witches, snapping their necks and ripping their hearts out. The man slammed the dagger into Hope's abdomen, causing her to scream and her eyes widen.

"NO!" Rebekah screamed. She sped up to the man in a rage, took the dagger and stabbed him in his neck.

"You're too late..." He spoke in a weakened whisper, smiling, holding onto his neck as blood spilled out, then fell to his knees and died. Rebekah was out of breath and had a look of terror in her face as she sped over to Hope's lifeless body laying on the table.

"GET HER OUT OF HERE NOW!" Klaus shouted towards Rebekah. Freya, Kol, Vincent and Davina held hands as they chanted a powerful incantation towards the other witches while Elijah and Klaus continued to fight. The building started shake and the witches rose in the air, their necks snapping and falling to the ground.

Rebekah unchained Hope, picked her up and disappeared back to the woods where the car was parked. She sat up against the car, with a dying Hope in her arms.

"Stay with me, sweet girl. Don't go. Please. We're going to get you back, I promise. I love you and I'm so sorry. Please don't leave. Stay with me, Hope." Rebekah sobbed as she kissed the girl's bloodied face.

"He... he... took my powers away.. I... can't... heal... myself. I don't... want to... die." Hope spoke in hyperventilated breaths as her body shook. Rebekah held her as tight as she could against her.

"I've got you, baby. I'm here. We'll fix this." Rebekah cried, looking down at the girl who was quickly drifting away.

"I can't... feel anything." Hope's whispered.

"No no no, baby, please. You're not gonna die. Come on, Hope, stay with me! Please!" Rebekah spoke in agony. She had never been so terrified in all her centuries of living.

Suddenly, she felt Hope's body shut down. The convulsing and shaking had stopped and she took a final breath, her arm going limp and falling at her side, her eyes still open.

"Hope!? Wake up! Wake up, baby! No, please! You can't leave me! Please!" Rebekah was inconsolable as she brought the girl's limp body close to hers, her hand on the back of her head, rocking her back and forth like a infant.

She was too distraught to notice that her family was walking towards her and gathering around her and Hope. Klaus was filled with rage when he saw his daughter's lifeless body laying in a devastated Rebekah's arms. He bent down, touching the girl's cold face and began to cry.

"I can fix this. WE will fix this." Freya spoke, with tears in her eyes.

"Let's take her back home." Elijah spoke in a sullen voice. Klaus tried to gather Hope from Rebekah, but she held her back.

"Rebekah... we have to go. Come on.." Klaus spoke to his sister softly, for the first time in ages. He hadn't seen Rebekah this distraught since the death of their little brother, Henrik, centuries ago. He realized that even though Hayley was Hope's true Mother, Rebekah was still going to grieve as if she lost her own child.

"Rebekah..?" He asked once more, resting his hand gently on her shoulder. She snapped her attention back to Klaus.

"I've got her." She replied, slowly standing and picking up Hope like a small toddler. They opened the back doors of the SUV and she lay her down gently in the backseat.

"We will get her back, Sister." Klaus responded. She rested her hand on top of his, realizing that for the first time in what felt like ages, Klaus was there for her and Hope.

Back at the compound, Rebekah stayed in Hope's room as her lifeless body lay in her bed. She had cleaned the blood from her face and hands and changed her blood soaked clothing, almost in a denial that she was actually dead. She lay in the bed next to her, holding her cold, lifeless hand.

"Rebekah... you need to feed. You're weak." Klaus was concerned for his sister. She had barely spoke since they came home and she hadn't left Hope's side. Elijah stood in the doorway, watching.

"I don't care." Rebekah responded quietly, her voice shaking and horse from all the crying she had done. She had cried so much in the past few hours, she didn't think she had any left to spare, but she was mistaken.

"I wish you could have watched her grow up, Nik. She was such a sweet little curious girl. I wish I could go back." Rebekah spoke as a tear fell down her face. Klaus was silent for a moment before speaking.

"I watched from afar. Every year on her birthday." Klaus smiled. Rebekah was surprised by his comment.

"You did a wonderful job raising her Rebekah. I'm sorry I wasn't there. I realized that you didn't need me. Neither did she." Klaus finished.

Rebekah wanted to respond and tell him that wasn't true and how she asked about him every single day. But she didn't have the strength to speak, so she just lay there in silence.

With no response back from Rebekah, he got up and met with Elijah in the hall outside Hope's room.

"Have they gotten anywhere with a spell?" Klaus asked.

"As you're familiar, resurrection is one of the hardest feats of magic, though I have utter faith that they will have enough power combined to bring her back." Elijah answered.

"Bring Hope. We're ready." Freya announced as she came down the stairs.

Klaus walked back into the room, telling Rebekah it was time. He picked up Hope and carried her upstairs, Rebekah and Elijah following behind them. When they reach the room, he lay her down gently in the circle of salt.

"We need blood of two family members." Davina explained. It was no question that Rebekah and Klaus would offer it up. They walked over, each biting their wrist and draining their blood into a bowl. Among the other items on the table, were runes and animal bones.

"We need to channel each other." Vincent added. All 4 of the witches reached out to each others shoulders, their eyes closed. Klaus and Elijah stood outside the circle as Rebekah knelt down, wanting to be close to Hope when and if she awoke.

They began repeating a chant: "Le sang des deux frères, les cendres de leurs morts. Le sang des deux frères, les cendres de leurs morts."

The house was beginning to shake, windows busted and stray pieces of paper were flying from heavy gusts of wind, which was a cause from the spell.

Freya, Kol, Davina and Vincent's noses were beginning to bleed from all the power they were channeling together.

Suddenly, Hope shot up, gasping for air, her eyes wide with confusion. Freya, Kol, Davina and Vincent all passed out once she woke. They would wake soon.

"Oh!" Rebekah exclaimed in utter relief, immediately wrapping her arms around the girl. Hope returned the gesture, gripping tightly to Rebekah, terrified.

"I thought I lost you forever." Rebekah cried into Hope's neck.

"Did... did I die?" Hope asked, un-latching herself from Rebekah. Rebekah nodded.

"I.. don't remember." Hope admitted.

"Maybe for now that's best." Klaus chimed in, standing behind them. Hope turned around, recognizing the voice.

"...Dad?" Klaus smiled at her.

"We'll talk when you're feeling better." Klaus didn't want to overwhelm his daughter or upset her, so he sped off to the other side of the compound.

She didn't have the brain capacity at the moment, to wire her thoughts together. She was really just baffled and confused. She turned back around, facing Rebekah.

Freya, Kol, Davina and Vincent all began to wake up and were pleased to see Hope sitting up with Rebekah.

"It's good to see you breathing, little one." Kol smiled.

"Hi Uncle Kol." Hope waved with a weak hand. That's when she realized she had scars where all of her wounds were.

"How do I have scars?" Hope asked, confused. Everyone stared at each other, waiting to see who was going to explain to Hope that her powers were gone. Freya walked over to her, kneeling down at her level.

"Hope, the man that did this to you, he cast a spell and temporarily rid you of your powers. Our resurrection spell only closed your wounds. I promise we will do everything we can to get them back." Freya explained, hugging Hope and kissing her forehead.

"I'll help... when I'm not feeling so... dead." Hope replied, still in shock from the recent events.

"Come on. Let's get you cleaned up and into bed. You can sleep in mine. Your bed sheets need a good wash." Rebekah explained. Hope raised a brow, wondering what she meant by that.

"They're covered in blood, love. Come on, I'll help you downstairs." Rebekah reached her hand out to Hope and they walked out of the room.

"Did anybody recognize any of those witches?" Klaus asked.

"Not a single one. They definitely weren't apart our coven." Vincent answered.

"Well, the good thing is, they're all dead, but that doesn't mean there aren't more coming for her." Elijah replied.

"Once she's feeling better, she needs to leave New Orleans." Freya spoke.

"I'll make a call to a good friend in Mystic Falls." Klaus left the room, putting his phone to his ear. A young woman answered on the other end.

"Hello, Caroline. It's your dear friend, Klaus."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Please leave reviews! It's what really pushes me to continue with new chapters!**

 **Love &Peace.**


	2. And When Your Heart Begins to Bleed

**Hello** , **readers! Sorry for taking so bloody long to post this 2nd chapter. I've been a tid bit busy. It's roughly 2,000 words shorter than the last chapter but I'm still mapping out how things will go in Mystic Falls for Hope & Rebekah in ch3, so please try to hold out hope for me! Please leave reviews! As much as I love writing this story, hearing words of encouragement to continue really motivates me to shell out chapters faster! I'm more than willing to answer questions and handle criticism as well! **

**Anyway, here is Chapter Two!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO**

 **"And When Your Heart Begins to Bleed..."**

 **FLASHBACK**

 **HOPE, AGE 6**

A young Hope sat up in her bed, terrified of an insect flying around in her room. There was a blue hue from her projection lamp, with little sea creatures slowly spinning around the walls.

"Mommy!" The little girl shouted for Rebekah as she lay hunched under her covers. Rebekah quickly entered the room, ready to console the girl, assuming she had another night terror. They were becoming a nightly occurrence.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" Rebekah asked as she sat on the bed, rubbing the little girl's belly over her covers.

"There's something flying around!" Hope explained, crying, still holding the covers just below her eyes. Rebekah got up and looked around, only to see a nickel-sized moth fluttering above her lamp.

"Oh, it's just a moth, sweet girl, they're harmless." Rebekah cupped it into her hands and released it out of the opened window, then closed it.

"A moth?" Hope asked curiously, sitting up and wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Yes. Think of them as the butterfly's dopey cousin." Rebekah poked Hope's chin, smiling at her. Hope laughed at the comparison.

"So let's make sure next time we don't leave the window open, hmm?" Rebekah stated, raising a brow, but grinning. Hope nodded.

"Can you sleep in my bed tonight?" Hope asked, with a look of worry.

"What's gotten my brave little girl so scared, huh? It can't be a tiny bug, can it?" Rebekah asked as she got under the little girl's purple covers, pulling her in close to her and sweeping the hair out of her face. Hope sighed.

"You're gonna be mad." Hope spoke nervously. Rebekah's eyebrows raised, wondering what could have possibly happened.

"Why would I be mad, love?" Rebekah asked as her mind wandered.

"I saw Daddy." Hope whispered, squeezing her eyes shut, awaiting Rebekah's reaction.

"Where did you see your Daddy, Hope?" Rebekah asked, immediately concerned.

"Today in the woods when I was playing... I... I did a spell to find him." Hope answered in a sullen tone, her eyes still squeezed shut as if she was envisioning the recent memory.

"Hope Andrea Mikaelson, what have I told you about playing in the woods by yourself? AND doing magic without supervision?" Rebekah asked, sternly but didn't yell.

"See, I knew you would be mad." Hope spoke, sounding defeated, with tears in her eyes. Rebekah had realized she should have probably reacted differently, considering she was probably traumatized from whatever she saw her Father doing.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm not mad at you, I promise. I just worry about you getting hurt or putting yourself in danger. What if something would have happened to you and I wasn't there? How would I ever find you?" Rebekah explained in a soft voice as she wiped the tears from the little girl's face.

"I know. I'm sorry. I won't do it again." Hope said, sniffling.

"So your Daddy scared you? Did you see something you probably shouldn't have?" Rebekah pried.

"He was hurting people and I yelled at him so he got mad at me and told me to go away. I'm afraid he will hurt me." Hope's eyes welled with more tears.

"Oh, sweet girl. Your Daddy would never hurt you. I'm sorry you saw him doing scary things. He's just... kind of lost right now." Rebekah had absolutely no idea how to explain what was wrong with Niklaus to a 6 year old.

"He's lost?" Hope's eyebrows furrowed. Rebekah sighed and then took a breath.

"You know in the movie, Hook, how Peter went to Neverland and found the lost boys? Remember how he got so consumed by his own imagination that he forgot he was a Father? That's kind of what's happened to your Daddy. He just needs to figure things out and take some time to find his way back to you." Rebekah tried her best, using one of Hope's favorite movies as an explanation. Rebekah was furious on the inside, but held herself together for the little girl.

"Will he hurt you?" Hope asked, putting her small hands on Rebekah's face. The gesture made her heart crumble into tiny pieces.

"Oh, no. He won't hurt me and you don't ever need to worry about that. No one will ever take me away from you, okay?" Rebekah took the girls tiny hands from her face, and held onto them, giving each one a peck.

"You promise?" Hope asked sweetly.

"Yes, I promise." Hope closed her eyes and nuzzled her small body closer into Rebekah's.

She continued to lay there in the quiet room, listening to Hope's heartbeat and quiet breaths, thinking of what Klaus had looked like when Hope saw him. Probably stark raving mad and ripping hearts out of men's chests, covered in blood from tip to toe. She wanted to find him and slap him in his bloodied face and tell him that he could never see Hope, but despite their differences, she could never actually do that to her brother. She wondered how long it would take for him to come to his senses and finally be there for his daughter, but she felt he was too far gone. She hated that she practically lied to Hope when she said he just needed to take his time to come back to her. She had that feeling in the pit of her stomach that it was going to be just her and Hope for a long time. She couldn't lie, she loved it and how it was the most human she's ever felt in all her centuries of living. She loved that Hope called her "Mommy" even though she knew she wasn't, but it didn't matter. Hope knew who Hayley was and she would always love her and never forget that she was the one who brought her into this messy world and fought with all her might to keep her alive and safe. That, she would always know.

* * *

PRESENT DAY

Hope had showered all the filth off of her body and while it did make her feel better for just a little bit, it wasn't long enough. She still felt very weak and disoriented, so Freya made her a tea with special herbs to soothe her aches and pains and help her fall asleep.

Rebekah was somewhat relieved, but still cautious about Hope being resurrected because there are usually always dangerous side effects. She finally lay in bed next to Hope trying to get some sleep herself. She had also finally drank after almost an entire day without it, so she was feeling more like herself than beforehand.

It was in the middle of the night, when Hope jolted up and screamed, causing Rebekah to stir and grab onto her to calm her down. Hope was swatting Rebekah's hands away from her, scratching at her and crying.

"Hope! Hope, it's okay! Wake up! You're having a night terror!" Rebekah shouted at Hope. She finally came to, seeing the bloody scratches she left on Rebekah's arms. She was panting heavily as if she had just ran a marathon.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Hope cried. Rebekah didn't even realize her arms had been scratched and bleeding, until she saw Hope looking down at them. She wasn't going to make a fuss about it.

"It's okay, love. Look, they're healing. It's okay." Rebekah reassured her in a chipper like voice as she rubbed the scared girl's back like she used to when she was little.

"There were moths everywhere. They were flying around my old bedroom. There were thousands of them. And... and Dad was there... he ripped my heart out. It felt so real. It..." Hope trailed off, and looked back at Rebekah, who was staring back at her with pain in her eyes. A pain only she felt when Hope was hurting. It was as if it would manifest inside of her.

"It wasn't real, Hope. Look at me. Your Father is here and he loves you. It's okay if you don't feel the same way right now and if you don't want to see him or talk him, you don't have to." Rebekah explained as she rested her hands on top of Hope's shoulders.

"I just... I don't feel like myself. I feel like a piece of me is missing and I keep having all of these horrible memories that show up in my dreams." Hope spoke, her voice sounding empty.

"Well, sweetheart, you died and came back to life. You're not going to feel right for quite some time. But I will help you get through it. We all will." Rebekah reassured the girl.

Hope lay her head back down on the pillow, feeling heavily defeated. She died, was resurrected by powerful black magic, her powers were gone and now she can barely move around cause the pain was taking ages to ware off.

As the days went by, she felt her mind twisting and turning, her emotions were going haywire, much like someone with a bipolar disorder. She would be happy she was alive and then 3 minutes later, feel nothing but doom and dread which would eventually leave her to cry for hours causing Rebekah to become ill with worry. Klaus had talked to Caroline, who was in Mystic Falls, and she agreed to have Rebekah and Hope stay with them until Hope started school. Hope was less than thrilled and Rebekah felt the same way, being that Mystic Falls brought back painful unwanted memories.

Rebekah was sitting in the courtyard with Elijah when Marcel showed up, holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Already trying to coax your back into my heart, I see." Rebekah spoke in a cheeky tone. Marcel grinned.

"These... are not for you. They're for Hope. How is she feeling?" That gesture from Marcel made Rebekah feel more feelings than she ever had for him, seeing how sweet he was for caring about Hope, but she knew she needed to hold herself back from him. She didn't have time for distractions.

"She's not herself. She's very irritable and constantly upset. Her emotions are that of a bipolar person. I'm trying my best to be there for her, but she won't let me in. She's never kept things from me." Rebekah spoke in defeat. She loved Hope dearly, but lately she was having a hard time connecting with her.

"I have every reason to believe that her Father has something to do with that. Not just being brought back to life." Elijah spoke in his normal, yet serious voice.

"She's also pissed off that we have to pack up again and move in with former Miss Mystic Falls and the Gemini twins. I don't blame her there." Rebekah rolled her eyes, sipping her white wine-blood cocktail.

Her and Caroline weren't the fondest of friends, but she was trying her best to set the past aside. After all, it had been 16 years since they'd seen each other. They were both Mother's now, to children that weren't even biologically theirs. So she secretly hoped that would be something they could possibly bond over, instead of trying to tear each other's throats out.

"Where is the little moody wolf, anyway?" Marcel squinted his small dark brown eyes, looking around the courtyard to see if she was anywhere in sight.

"I'm right here, jerks. I can hear you guys, you know?" Hope was hanging her head over the balcony, waving, sarcastically.

"Hey, the guy who brought you flowers is not a jerk." Marcel smiled, looking up at Hope. Hope ran down the stairs to Marcel and hugged him. She turned around and smelled the vase full of flowers, causing her to smile.

"They're beautiful. Thank you." Hope said.

"It's nice to see that lovely smile again." Rebekah added. Hope's wide grin faded into a small smirk, feeling slightly embarrassed. She knew she had been a terror the past couple of days and after overhearing Rebekah say she was making it hard, she couldn't help but feel bad.

"I'm sorry for being so awful." Hope apologized.

"You're not awful. You're just going through something awful. We all understand how you feel. Trust us." Rebekah replied, referring to being daggered for 90 years and waking up in the 21st century. Elijah had gone through similar incidents and Marcel? Well Marcel's heart was ripped out of his chest and he was thrown off a bridge and left for dead. So yeah, they all knew how she felt.

"So when are we leaving?" Hope asked the dreaded question of the day.

"Tomorrow morning, bright and early." Rebekah answered.

"Joy." Hope sarcastically spoke.

Hope trotted back upstairs with the vase of flowers in her hand.

"Thanks again for the flowers, Marcel!" Hope shouted at the top of the stairs.

Rebekah smiled at Marcel and followed him outside as he was about to leave.

"Thank you for doing that. It was really sweet. I think it really made her day just a little bit better." Marcel shot his flirtatious grin at her.

"Well, I wish I could do more. I hate seeing her so sad and you worrying over her. You know, even with a teenager, motherhood looks good on you. I can tell she's kept you grounded." Marcel spoke, truthfully. Rebekah smiled.

"You know, I never thought I'd be so attracted to you giving me Mummy compliments." Rebekah laughed. Marcel moved closer into her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Rebekah was taken aback at the gesture. She didn't think her words would have swooned him so easily.

"What? It's true. You're a milf, Rebekah Mikaelson." Marcel leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. Shortly after, Rebekah pulled away, sighing in sexual frustration.

"Don't do that to me, Marcellus." She complained, though secretly wanted to continue.

"Oh, come on. It's your last night here. Let me wine and dine you. I'm sure it's... been awhile, considering you've been raising a child alone for the past 15 years." Rebekah shot an evil eye at him.

"I'll have you know that I've been rather good at compelling babysitters over the years to get my share of a nice dinner and meaningless sex, Marcel." Rebekah snapped back.

"But our sex isn't meaningless." Marcel flirted back.

"Marcel, it became meaningless the night you decided your vampire orphans were more important than me." Rebekah was serious now and was in no mood for games. Marcel's face was immediately sullen.

"Wow. That escalated quickly. Look, Rebekah, I can't take back the decisions I made 16 years ago. Do I regret it? Yeah, a little. Am I happy to see you after so long? Yeah, a lot. Did a million memories of us start flowing through my mind the minute I found out you were here? Of course. You can't deny that you feel the same way." Marcel argued.

"Marcel, I have a 15 year old child to worry about now. A 15 year old child, who died in my arms 3 days ago, mind you. I have heavier things going on in my head right now. Times have changed. I'm not a sappy girl looking for love anymore. I found all the love I needed the day I brought Hope home. I will always love you, Marcellus and maybe one day we can try again for thousandth time and actually make things work, but right now, my priorities are a terrified and angry teenage girl with Daddy issues. Can you understand that?" Marcel looked defeated. He didn't want to say anything more. He loved Rebekah so much, but he knew he could never leave New Orleans. He was stubborn as hell, just as Rebekah was and he was always going to keep his feet planted.

"Yeah. I understand. Be safe, okay? Give Hope a hug for me." Marcel took one last glance at Rebekah and then he was gone in a flash. Rebekah sighed and went back inside.

"Trouble with the King?" Elijah joked, while adjusting his cuff links. Rebekah was too annoyed to answer, so she activated her defense mechanism, which was a professional list of insults.

"Lijah, would it kill you to have a casual dress day once in awhile?" Rebekah jabbed at Elijah's suit obsession.

"I happen to enjoy wearing suits, little Sister. I would assume having a child might change the fancy dress code, though." Elijah eyed Rebekah's choice of clothing. She was always known for wearing lavish dresses and high heels, with her hair perfectly done along with flawless makeup and painted nails. However, at the moment she was wearing a frilly white t-shirt, black skinny jeans, sandals, and her hair was in a pony tail. No time for make up, though she still managed to somehow look as beautiful as ever.

"Oh, sod off." Rebekah cursed at Elijah and walked off.

"You know I'm just teasing you." Elijah smiled at her.

Just as Rebekah disappeared upstairs, Klaus walked in.

"Ah, Brother. You're back. I must say, I'm quite surprised at how quickly you've managed to return." Elijah spoke sarcastically.

"Lijah, I don't have time for your sarcasm. How is Hope?" Klaus asked, in his constant angry tone.

"She's better today. Marcel dropped by with a bouquet of flowers for her. Its the first time we've seen her smile since she awoke. She's still angry though. I wish we could just compel her to forget the horrible things that were done to her. Every night, she dreams of it." Elijah explained with sadness in his voice.

"Do you think I should talk to her?" Klaus asked, sounding nervous for the first time ever in his life.

"Yes, Niklaus, I think you should." Elijah answered.

Niklaus was standing in Hope's doorway as he watched her pack her stuff up in a designer suitcase. He imagined Rebekah picking out the perfect one for her. He started to feel a bit of jealousy, but he knew he didn't have the right to feel that way. He was more jealous for Hayley. That she didn't get to see Hope grow up or have the chance to buy her nice things. Though, he was still grateful for Rebekah stepping in and being the Mother that Hope so desperately needed. He snapped out of his thoughts as Hope spoke at him.

"Do you need something?" Hope asked, rudely. Klaus cleared his throat.

"I was just checking in. I wanted to see how you were feeling." He said, nervously, knowing Hope didn't care.

"I'm great. Thanks for asking." Hope didn't even look up at him as she continued to pile clothes and toiletries into her suitcase.

"I'm not here to try and make up for what I've done. That, I know, is unforgivable. I... I just wanted to tell you that Rebekah has done more for you than I ever will and if there's one thing I could ask of you... it's not to shut her out. If you're not feeling right in the head, like something is taking over you, please, I beg of you, Hope, don't ignore it and pretend everything is okay. I've seen how it ends. Don't let it. For Rebekah's sake and yours." Klaus turned around and walked away before Hope could get another word in. She sat there staring at the empty doorway, taking in what he said, trying to reason with herself.

She thought at first 'what right does he have to ask anything of me?' Then she thought 'Maybe he's right?'

The following morning came too soon. Hope awoke with a start. Another damn night terror. Another pain popping up and radiating inside of her bones. She ignored it all, like she had already been the past few days. She changed into the outfit she left on top of her dresser the night before. Pink Floyd t-shirt, jean shorts so destroyed, the pockets were coming out from under the hemlines right at the top of her skinny, tanned thighs, and some black slip on vans. She wadded her hair up in a messy bun, grabbed her suitcase and made her way downstairs to grab something to eat.

When she reached the kitchen, she saw Elijah, Freya and Rebekah talking. She observed that whatever it was they were talking about, was serious. 'I'm sure it's about me' Hope thought to herself and rolled her eyes. She poured herself a cup of coffee, made some toast, and sat down at the table and started reading the newspaper. She made no eye contact with them whatsoever, letting them be aware that she was in no mood for serious conversation. They all stared at her as she sat and read the paper. Rebekah was honestly happy to see her eating, but was surprised by her reading a newspaper.

"Since when do you this?" Rebekah laughed.

"Since now, I guess." Hope shrugged, following her snarky reply.

"Listen, kid, we have a bit of a journey ahead of us, so if you could brighten up just a tid, that would be exceptional." Rebekah gave her that glaring 'mom eye' that she only shot at her when she was doing something particularly annoying to her. Hope got it. She tried to change her demeanor because she didn't want Rebekah to think anything was wrong. Even though Hope knew that she knew.

"It's morning. I'm always like this. Let me chug this coffee and I'll be whistling a different tune in no time. Promise." Hope replied back as she winked at Rebekah.

Rebekah thought Hope was acting like a totally different person, but it was better than her crying at everything or screaming in her sleep.

"Alright then, well chop chop. We've got 5 minutes." Rebekah ordered.

"Alright, Alright." Hope took a giant gulp of coffee and one last bite of toast before she got up.

"I guess it's time to say goodbye for a little while." Rebekah said as she stared at her siblings.

"No Klaus? Big surprise." Hope said as she walked up to her Uncle Elijah to give him a hug. With his arms wrapped around her, he whispered in her ear.

"Please be careful. And don't be too hard on your Mother. She's trying her best."

"I know." Hope whispered back.

She released herself from Elijah and made her way to her Aunt Freya.

"Bye, baby girl! I'm gonna miss you. Call me if you need to talk or if you have any questions of the witch variety. And I promise I'm gonna get to the bottom of this." Freya squeezed Hope in her grasp and kissed the top of her head.

"Thanks, Aunt Freya. I'll call you as soon as we get there. Love you guys. We'll see each other soon."

Rebekah said her goodbyes and then made her way with Hope to the front door.

"Ready, little love?" Rebekah grabbed Hope's hand and together, they walked out of the house and began their journey to Mystic Falls.

* * *

Well, folks, that does it for Chapter 2! I know it wasn't as exciting or depressing as the first chapter, but it's got to have some sort of build up before shit hits the fan again! Hope you enjoyed! Please tell me your thoughts!

Much love,

Sal


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